×Heucherella plant named ‘HERTN041’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  ×Heucherella  plant substantially as shown and described, characterized by its distinctive soft yellow to lime green foliage with speckles of maroon along the veins and distinctive lobing.

Botanical denomination: ×Heucherella sp.

Variety designation: ‘HERTN041’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct intergeneric hybridbetween Heuchera and Tiarella, and botanically called ×Heucherella. Thisnew variety is given the cultivar name ‘HERTN041’. Both genera, Heucheraand Tiarella, are of the family Saxifragaceae.

The claimed plant resulted from crossing Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 13,348), as the seed parent, with massed pollen from agroup of experimental, proprietary Tiarella hybrids. As such, the exactpollen parent is unknown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This new Heucherella is unique in its soft yellow foliage with specked,maroon markings along the main veins and is also characterized by:

-   -   1. Small, 5-lobed leaves.    -   2. Unusual white flowers on numerous, short stalks.

The new variety has been reproduced only by sexual propagation (divisionand tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by divisionand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows the two year old plant in April growing in the ground grownin shade in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a close up of the leaves in the summer.

FIG. 3 shows a close up of the flowers in early spring.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new ×Heucherella hybridbased on observations of a three-year-old specimen grown in the groundin an open air shade house with 50% shade cover and added irrigation inthe summer months in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardinessmap. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to anaverage of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Botanical denomination: ×Heucherella.sp.-   Variety designation: ‘HERTN041’.-   Plant:    -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.        -   Form.—Basal rosette.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4.        -   Size.—20 cm tall from the soil to the top of the foliage and            50 cm wide.        -   Vigor.—Excellent.        -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color.            Roots develop easily from cuttings.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Arrangement.—Rosette.        -   Shape.—Ovate.        -   Lobing /division.—3 to 5 main deeply cut lobes with each of            these coarsely lobed, terminal lobe is the longest, two main            laterals are often at a right angle to the main lobe.        -   Venation.—Palmate.        -   Margins.—Coarsely crenate.        -   Apex.—Mucronulate.        -   Base.—Cordate, slightly overlapping.        -   Blade size.—Ranges from 5 to 8 cm long and 5 to 6.7 cm wide.        -   Surface texture.—Glandular hairs mostly on back side.        -   Petiole size.—Ranges from 7 to 13 cm long and 2 mm wide.        -   Petiole texture.—Glandular hairs.        -   Petiole color.—Changes from Greyed Red 178A at the base to            Yellow Green 145C near leaf blade.        -   Leaf color.—Leaves open in spring a yellow green with a            speckled maroon pattern along veins and become greener with            maturity. Spring leaves topside — Yellow Green 145A with            speckles of Greyed Purple 187B. Mature leaves topside —            Yellow Green 144A with minor speckling. Bottom side —            Closest to Yellow Green 145A maturing to Yellow Green 146C.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—Thyrse.        -   Number of flowers.—Ranges from 30 to 70 per thyrse.        -   Size of inflorescence.—13 cm long and 3 cm wide.        -   Peduncle.—Grows to 31 cm tall and 2 mm wide, with glandular            hairs, and with 0 to 10 leaves (petiole at the bottom and            sessile near the top, 5.5 to 1 cm long and 3 to 0.5 cm wide,            deeply 5 parted to incised) and 0 to 2 branches. Color —            Greyed Orange 176A maturing to Yellow Green 152A except near            base where it is Greyed Orange 165A.        -   Pedicel.—Grows to 6 mm long, with glandular hairs, Greyed            Orange 174A.        -   Bloom period.—Early April to late May.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—2 mm deep and wide.        -   Description.—Ovoid, side facing, glandular.        -   Color.—Greyed Yellow 160A.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—Perfect, sepals petaloid.        -   Shape.—Rotate.        -   Size.—4 mm wide and 3 mm deep.        -   Petal description.—5 in number, oblanceolate in shape, 1.5            mm long and 0.5 mm wide, Yellow White 158A.        -   Calyx description.—Rotate, 5 lobed, 5 mm wide and 3 mm deep,            glandular on the outside and glabrous on the inside, Yellow            White 158A.        -   Stamen description.—Conspicuously exerted, 10, sterile,            thickened, Green Yellow 1D, no anthers.        -   Pistil description.—Green Yellow 1D overall, 2.5 mm long.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Lastingness.—A thyrse blooms for about 2 weeks on the plant.-   Fruit, seed: None. The plant does not form fruit or seed.    -   -   Fertility.—Male and Female sterile.-   Disease and pest tolerance: All Heucherella are susceptible to root    weevils. No problems have been identified for this new cultivar.

COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR ×HEUCHERELLA

Compared to Heucherella ‘Sunspot’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,825), this newcultivar has leaves that are less gold colored and marked red at theveins and the leaf lobes are cut and jagged rather than round.

Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’, the new cultivarhas foliage that is more of a yellow green than an amber color, and theleaves of the new variety are not ruffled and uncut like the seedparent.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of ×Heucherella plant as hereinillustrated and described.